Fly First Class to the Middle East, Maldives, Seychelles and more for 115,000 miles or $2,824 each way (71% off)
When you’re flying halfway around the world, you need to be in a comfy seat — as in First Class comfy.
There are only a few airlines that fly First Class these days, and Etihad is one of them. Their First Class seat is much more spacious than your typical Business Class seat. Oh, and they fly to exotic locales regarded by many as some of the most beautiful in the world, such as the Seychelles, the Maldives, and Phuket, Thailand.
Deserve Spontaneous Combustion?
With all that in mind, let me propose an idea. At some time in the next 12 months, do something travel-crazy. Perhaps it’s that long-awaited lockdown-busting trip you’ve been putting off. Or maybe someone said, “Bob, you look tired.” Or you overheard someone say, “Bob? Nice guy, but he’s kinda boring.”
Yes, I think it’s time for Bob to enjoy a bit of spontaneity in his life and we have just the ticket. It’s perfect for anyone looking for some spontaneous exotic Seychelles-like excitement (or “combustion” because you’re busting out!). This also applies to those who have already bought a ticket and have a nagging feeling that they’ve been gouged by that very same ticket. They can take advantage of the Iterative Upgrade Mindset.
That means using close-in mileage availability, which works whether you have any miles or not. This has been happening a lot with Etihad, which doesn’t like to reveal it. They just want to fill seats, especially their high-priced ones. So they’d rather charge something for them – even if it’s at a heavily discounted price — than let the seats stay empty. That becomes your opportunity because we just found the best kind of ability: availability.
Etihad. Boom!
Etihad offers First Class flights from Washington, DC, to Abu Dhabi and 70+ destinations across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. We’ve had Etihad availability on our radar for a while now. It does fluctuate close in, but we’re starting to see more consistent availability. And that’s great news for ticket holders and “spontaneous combustors” alike.
Close-In First Class Availability
How to Book Etihad First Class
You can book Etihad First Class with American miles from Washington, DC, to Abu Dhabi for 115,000 miles each way. You can get connecting flights from all over the U.S. when available for the same number of miles or get connecting flights to places like Johannesburg, the Maldives, New Delhi, and the Seychelles for as little as 5,000 more miles each way when available. Note that flights beyond Abu Dhabi are usually in Business Class. Considering American, Delta, and United charge 150,000 to 200,000 for Business Class each way, these prices for First Class can easily be considered a free upgrade.
No Miles? No Problem!
Buy Miles to Fly Etihad Airlines
American miles usually cost 2.8 cents per mile to buy. However, they frequently offer purchase bonuses and discount promotions for as low as 2.4 cents each (you can buy up to 150,000 per year, plus any bonuses). That amounts to a First Class flight to the Middle East at $2,854 each way — for a ticket that can cost up to $10,000. That’s a combustible deal! Follow our strategy here for the annual purchase limit workaround.
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What About Amex Points?
If you don’t have enough points, you can buy them from Amex and transfer them to partner All Nippon to redeem them for that prized Etihad Airlines First Class ticket. It costs a little more than going through American Airlines, but the savings are still great. I’m talking 54% off the normal fare. See below.
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Close In First Class Availability From
Washington, DC, to Abu Dhabi
Using Partner Miles
Our team studied First Class availability within 30 days of departure for one to four seats. These trends often change, so be sure to check in advance to see how things look.
Frequency (%) of days within 30 days of departure
with low-cost Business Class awards available recently found
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Close In First Class Availability from
Abu Dhabi to Washington, DC,
Using Partner Miles
Frequency (%) of days within 30 days of departure
with low-cost Business Class awards available recently found
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FCF’S Close In First Class Award
Availability INSIGHTS
First Class to Abu Dhabi
- The “sweet spot” is 1 to 15 days from departure.
- American offers more days with First Class seats than All Nippon.
- American offers award availability for up to four travelers.
- You are most likely to find that All Nippon has award-seat availability for two to three travelers, four seats is not typical.
- Air Canada recently did not have any award-seat availability.
- There are more days with First Class seats than there are in Business Class. In general, there are very few days with Business Class award-seat availability using partner American miles.
- We found no Business Class award seats using All Nippon miles.
First Class From Abu Dhabi
- The “sweet spot” is 1 to 30 days from departure.
- American offers award availability for up to four travelers.
- You are most likely to find that All Nippon has award-seat availability for two to three travelers, four seats is not typical.
- Air Canada recently did not have any award-seat availability.
Not Flying to the Middle East? No Problem…
Etihad flies to over 70 destinations across
Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East
BUSINESS CLASS BEYOND ABU DHABI
We found close-in availability for as many as four seats using All Nippon in both directions to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
We found close in availability for as many as two seats using American in both directions to the Seychelles.
Don’t live in Washington, DC?
If you don’t live in Washington, DC, you can travel from the U.S. hub city coming and/or going for 5,000 miles from any of Oneworld’s (American) U.S. departure cities based on availability or buy a positioning flight.
Four Things to Know
- Booking Washington, DC, to Abu Dhabi in First Class is straightforward and very easy using both American and All Nippon.
- American adds 10,000 to 30,000 miles to the booking when you travel beyond Abu Dhabi, depending on the destination.
- With American, it is recommended to check each segment separately (IAD>AUH & AUH>SEZ) then book as one a one-way. If you can’t get their online system to price as one-way you’ll have to call AA and make the booking over the phone. If you book as a multi-city, AA adds another 35,000 miles to the booking.
- All Nippon is a bit tricky to book beyond Abu Dhabi. If you book with All Nippon, it’s best to call and make the reservation as the IAD-AUH segment in First Class and the AUH-SEZ segment in Business Class since their online system can’t price it.
So how ‘bout it, Bob? Ready to collect some Seychelles seashells? Or dive in the Maldives? This is a fantastic time to do some Etihad-enabled spontaneously combusting escapism in First Class comfort.
I say this with your well-being in mind: see you up front.